Sarde in Saor

Sarde in saor with Hermann J. Wiemer 2014 Blanc de Noir

Wooden doesn’t need an excuse to pop a bottle of bubbles at a meal, but it doesn’t hurt that Carbone’s pickled sardines work especially well with Hermann J. Wiemer’s Blanc de Noir from New York’s Finger Lakes region. “I love that ability of bubbles to kind of scrub your palate,” Wooden says. “There’s a certain salinity and minerality to this sparkling wine that lends itself to seafood. It’s very fresh and clean with a citrus acidity.”

The pickled sardines, or sarde in saor, are “very traditional to the Seven Fishes,” Carbone says, but he notes that this preparation also shows the influences from outside Italy. “You can definitely see the sort of Moorish and Egyptian fingerprint on Sicily in dishes like this,” he says. “You want to use a fattier fish that needs that acidity, so sardines are great for it. I serve pickled sardines with white-wine vinegar, onion, raisins, and pine nuts.”